A ground-breaking four-year study into the sustainability of beluga whales in Russia's vast and icy Okhotsk Sea funded by Ocean Park has concluded that 29 animals a year can be removed over a five-year period without putting the population at risk.

The quota, decided by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on the basis of the study data, is based upon a capture of 1 percent of the estimated beluga population in the catchment area of 2,900.

It is the first study of its kind commissioned by a zoo or aquarium - and marine scientist and IUCN advisor Robert Brownell, who helped verify the study findings, said he hoped it would lead to an annual quota on beluga exports from Russia.

The pioneering work could also be used by conservationists globally to push for similar assessments and quotas on other populations of whales and dolphins, said Brownell, a senior scientist with the Southwest Fisheries Science Centre in Pacific Grove, California.

The quota of 29 might be difficult to enforce in the current unregulated environment within Russia but Brownell said he believed the figure provided a basis for a structured, protective system to be put in place.

Asked about his reaction to the objections from conservation groups to the wild-capture of belugas for Hong Kong's Ocean Park, Brownell said: "There is a different between assessment of sustainability and the ethics and humane side of collecting animals from the wild.

"As a scientist, I would like to ensure that if collections happen, this type of assessment process should be taken."

He added: "As a biologist, obviously I care about animals. I agree that captivity might not be the best thing for all animals out there but I also recognize that there is some educational value to it. I try to look at it from the standpoint that it is going to happen anyway, so what is the best way to do it.

"Activists are more about the individuals, but as a scientist I try to see the issue as the sustainability of the whole population and how it can be maintained.

"Now that we have a handle on how we can do this, hopefully we can make similar progress with other countries and other aquariums."

(HK Edition 08/24/2011 page4)